Business leaders critical of Silva's tactics

STOCKTON - In a sharply worded letter, a coalition of local business leaders called upon Mayor Anthony Silva and supporters of his sales tax initiative to cast off their veil of secrecy.

Scott Smith

STOCKTON - In a sharply worded letter, a coalition of local business leaders called upon Mayor Anthony Silva and supporters of his sales tax initiative to cast off their veil of secrecy.

They urged Silva to bring the City Council and public into the discussion about a proposed half-cent sales tax increase to put more than 100 police officers on the street.

"It is widely known that there are those, out of public view, fronting either tax increases or other unknown solutions that must see the light of day," the letter says. "The city needs to heal and divisiveness is not the answer!"

The Thursday letter from Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce President Gary Long and past President Rick Goucher says "hidden agendas" threaten to jeopardize the hard work of city leaders to repair the city's finances.

"The Stockton City Council and city staff have been totally kept in the dark and no honest effort has been made to include them in the process," the letter says, calling this tactic "irresponsible, unfair, highly questionable."

"Most of all (it is) an insult to the good citizens of the city of Stockton," the one-page letter says.

Silva declined comment on Friday. He said in a text message to The Record that he was busy dispatching a team of volunteers to pick up trash piling up on a north Stockton street.

In a statement prepared by political consultant Allen Sawyer, Silva said he continues to accept suggestions from key officials, including City Manger Bob Deis, before beginning to collect the 12,000 signatures to put it on the ballot.

"We welcome input from everybody and anyone," the statement says. "Change is coming."

The Business Council of San Joaquin County is also preparing a letter to City Hall regarding Silva's tax proposal, said the organization's executive director, Ron Addington.

But the Business Council's position remains unclear, because Addington said he could not discuss the contents of the letter until it had been signed off by his board, including board chairman and developer Fritz Grupe.

At the City Council's most recent meeting two weeks ago, council members Elbert Holman and Dyane Burgos asked city staff to perform an analysis of Silva's plan and report back Tuesday.

The analysis is listed on the agenda, but as of Friday afternoon, no report was published. Christian Clegg, the city manager's assistant, said an outside consultant is performing the analysis.

Before writing its letter, the chamber met individually with Silva, Councilman Moses Zapien, Councilwoman Kathy Miller and developer Matt Arnaiz to discuss the "rumored but not publicly vetted" tax measure, the letter says.

Silva proposes to put the measure on the ballot later this year aimed at raising $18 million annually. Deis has urged Silva to hold off for now, fearing a tax proposal could derail the ongoing bankruptcy and threaten the city's general fund.

The chamber's full board Thursday voted to draft the letter and send it to Silva and the six other council members. The letter urges transparency from elected city leaders.

Those who do otherwise, the letter says, "do so to the detriment of the community they are sworn to represent honestly and without any hidden agendas!"